Wild Geranium

Geranium maculatum

Found in cove forests, bottomland forests, other moist, base-rich forests; sometimes also cultivated. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

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Height: 14–18 inches
Spread: 1–1.5 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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Geranium maculatum — whole photograph — Glenn Berry · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Spring and summer
Fruiting season: Spring to summer

Recorded in 80 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 150 animals.

Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Purple Finch
Carpodacus purpureus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 7 shared habitats
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Birds. 7 shared habitats
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 7 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 7 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Geranium

Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth

Show all 26

Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
Spargania magnoliataDouble-Banded Carpet
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

15BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Geranium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Geranium

Andrena distans

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

11BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Geranium

Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow

Show all 11

Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 4

Empis distans
Empis humilis
Empis otiosa
Helophilus latifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 2

Hemaris thysbe
Thanaos martialis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Geraniaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–11b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Blue, pink, purple, red or white
Fruit begins: Spring
Fruit ends: Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Spring and summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
Flower color · “Blue, pink, purple, red or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Fruit begins · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
Fruit ends · “Summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Height · “14–18 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Spread · “1–1.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Spotted Cranes Bill; Wild Cranes Bill

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads by rhizomes. Spreads by rhizomes and will re-seed. Tennessee Smart Yards

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Wild Geranium

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Geranium